People preserve history
out of respect for those who
came before or because they
realize that what we are
flows from what we have been
and what we have done. That
certainly was the case with
the restoration of the
Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo
Railway’s steam locomotive

number 103.
As the age of steam power
was coming to a close, the
people of Hamilton had the
vision to set aside an
artefact of the engineering
genius of their time for the
future. That singular act of
sparing the 103 from the
wrecker was an essential

first step, but it was not
enough. Set up as a landmark
in Gage Park, the TH&B 103
provided a rewarding
experience to an entire
generation in the city. Time
wore on however, and rust
doesn’t sleep. When the
unprotected and under-
maintained engine started to

fade away, an attentive and
dedicated group intervened.
Led by Charles Doubrough,
the old engine’s champion,
and volunteers young and old
he had recruited from across
the community, the ‘TH&B 103
Restoration Crew’ worked for
years through bad weather and
vapour-thin budgets to